25-year-old Paige Collins, who lives in Hampshire, UK, first experimented with the drug when she was just 19 years old during a night out with friends.
What started off as something she only did now and then eventually spiraled into a daily routine. At her peak usage, Paige was consuming between five and 10 grams of ketamine every single day, burning through $1300 every month just to sustain the habit.
She recalls that it all began as a harmless, occasional experiment just a “once in a blue moon” kind of thing. But everything started to unravel during the Covid-19 pandemic, when what was once a rare indulgence quickly turned into a dangerous and consuming pattern that took over her life.
“I was 19 when I first tried ketamine. My friend asked me to sort some for a rave we were going to and it started from there,” she said.
“Initially I really enjoyed it. It took me three years to realise I was addicted.”
“I would start off getting one or two grams a night and then at the start of 2024 I was doing between five and 10 grams a day.”
“It was costing me anywhere between $195 to $325 a week.”
“I had absolutely no clue this could happen. Even when I knew and it was at its worst I still continued to do it. It was awful, I was in pain. I was stuck in a cycle of waking up, doing it, crying, saying ‘I’m never going to touch it again’ then picking it up again’.”
“I was nipping to the loo 50 plus times a day. It was ruining my life. I couldn’t go out for four or five months of 2023, I didn’t leave the house.”
To give some context, the NHS says that a healthy adult bladder typically holds between 400 to 600 milliliters of urine. Paige’s condition was way outside that range, and it shocked even the doctors.
“When I woke up from having it the cystoscopy done the doctor said my bladder was only 30ml. It was really shocking to hear,” she said. “I refer to it as just over a shot – a shot is 25ml.”
Paige went on to explain that the damage to her bladder is permanent and cannot be reversed. However, she is now undergoing a treatment called bladder instillation, which is meant to help relieve some of the pain and gently stretch the bladder to improve its capacity.
“There’s nothing I can do to make my bladder the way it once was,” she said. “Ket was an escape mechanism for me, which I know it also is for lots of other people. I was a party girl. Even now I still like going out dancing, but I don’t take ket when I go out.”
